In Wendell, a proposed battery storage system threatens to severely change the character of our town. Installed on 11 acres of forest, which will have to be clear-cut, atop one of the largest and cleanest aquifers in the state, and adjacent to a preserved wetland, the project will store energy for four hours a day to be used in periods of peak demand. The batteries themselves are lithium, a highly flammable element, that can’t be put out with water and has to be left to burn out, releasing toxins that would require the whole town to evacuate. What’s more, the battery life is only 20 years. How will the spent batteries be disposed of?

In order to mitigate the noise generated by the batteries, New Leaf Energy, the energy conglomerate that is petitioning the town, intends to install a 25-foot fence and lights that stay on all night. Gone will be our dark night sky, gone or compromised the wildlife that lives in the forest, the lights and incessant noise detrimental to their survival. And to ours, the people who have chosen Wendell as home, because we value the forest and calm over the convenience of more populated areas.

At this point the state is overriding our Wendell bylaws in support of the battery storage project. There needs to be a way to support a transition to renewable energies without destroying pristine forest and sacrificing precious resources.

Mara Bright

Wendell